The World's Worst Nemesis
by Pixiebaby321
Summary: Artemis is struggling to keep his relationship with Tinsley solid, and Minerva showing up to snatch him away isn't helping! Not only this, but there's someone else back for revenge against Artemis Fowl. SEQUEL TO THE WORLD'S WORST THIEF - ENJOY & REVIEW
1. The Letter

Minerva paced back and forth in her château's vast library, making no attempt to hide her frustration. She was indeed, very frustrated. Artemis Fowl was dating a girl - and not a girl with an exceptionally high IQ, some girl with some spectacular traits to match his above average intelligence - an ordinary girl who failed math exams, struggled to make ends meet as she works her way through the College of Dance - a college of dance, oh the situation was ridiculous! All this Butler had informed her when she called the manor the last time, as Artemis had suddenly stopped talking to her and she had demanded a reason. Minerva had planned on making a relationship work between her and Artemis eventually if no one else came along, because she did like the idea of two genii producing a kid prodigy. Not that this was a guarantee, but the point was, Artemis Fowl was her backup plan if all else failed, and now he was snatched from her! No, no. Not if she had anything to say about it. It wasn't going to end like this.

"Minerva?" Her maid poked her head in without knocking.

"How many times have I told you, knock first, Claire? KNOCK FIRST!" Minerva's behavior was quickly escalating into a tantrum.

"I'm sorry, so sorry ma'aam," Claire said quickly trying to defuse the impending storm. "There's a letter addressed to you, ma'aam."

Minerva rushed over in a huff and snatched it from her hand. "It better be worth my time."

Minerva noted before ripping it open that there was no return address. It could have came from anywhere, from anyone, which only fueled her curiosity.

**To Minerva Paradizo **

** Ah, Artemis Fowl is taken - tough break isn't it? Don't dwell on it too much - because I believe we can help each other out. Who am I? Don't ask, its imperative to my plan you don't know anything about me. All you should know is how honored you should feel that I am contacting you, a mere mud girl. There, perhaps that line will saturate your curiosity enough to keep you from seeking further information. If you agree to help me, don't contact me, as if you could - simply move to the address listed below within the next two weeks. Further details of the plan will be revealed to you at that point. I'll know if you do or don't move, and if you don't, I'll take it as a sign of your resistance to my ultimate plan. Do note this resistance will not end well for you. And one last thing - this letter is to be burnt. -O**

Minerva reread the letter, unsure who could know about her frustration with Artemis dating someone. Someone who's name started with the letter O…whoever it was referred to her as a mud girl, which leads her to conclude the person who wrote this letter isn't human. After all, she had direct confrontations with other species, fairies and demons, and it seemed perfectly logical to her one now would request her assistance in a plan involving Artemis Fowl. Of course, she didn't like the line 'do note this resistance will not end well for you'. If her conclusion was correct in that the writer of the letter was indeed a fairy or something of the like, she knew all too well what they were capable of. With a fear twisting her stomach in knots, she looked at Claire, her eyes still ablaze.

"Claire, inform my family I'll be taking a trip to Ireland."

Specifically, the College of Dance.


	2. A Minor Altercation

Tinsley packs her bag to leave for the weekend, right after her last Jazz class and then her short shift at the local pub. The room feels odd now that one side of it is completely bare; her last roommate suddenly dropped out of the school without any explanations - just two weeks ago Tinsley had walked into the room and she was gone, with no trace she'd ever been there. Tinsley hadn't been particularly close to her, but it still seems weird with her sudden withdrawal from the college. Oh well, today, she is supposed to get a new roommate. As if on schedule, there is a loud knock at the door. Tinsley rushes to open it with a smile on her face, hopeful she'll become good friends with her new roommate.

"I'm Minerva. Minerva Paradizo." The girl informs her, with a thick French accent. The lighting from the hallway makes her golden locks shine. However, her expression is cold and unpleasant. Tinsley doesn't let it phase her though, and extends a welcoming hand, which Minerva refuses to shake, instead maneuvering past Tinsley with her suitcase and depositing it on the empty bed.

"I'm Tinsley Collins." Tinsley says, trying not to let her smile fade.

"I see." Minerva fixes her eyes on the slender girl in front of her, assessing the girl who has taken Artemis from her. "Listen, I think I should make one thing perfectly clear. I have no intentions of being your friend, so you can skip the pleasantries."

Tinsley doesn't know how to react - it appears Minerva hates her already, but she has no idea what she could have possibly done to get on her bad side this early on.

"Oh, well - that's -" Tinsley can't find the right words to say. "Fine."

Her cell phone rings, a notification from her scheduler declaring she has class in ten minutes. "Well, I have to go to class, but I'll see you later."

She slings her backpack over her shoulder, thanking the lord tonight she gets to see Artemis. Thinking about him makes the encounter with her new roommate fade away. She already feels much better. In fact, in the hallway as she walks to class, she shoots him a text to let him know how happy she is.

_I love you, you're my favorite!_

A few minutes later, as she finishes pulling her hair back in a tight ponytail, her cell phone lights up with an up-tempo melody.

_I love you to…_

Fowl manor isn't the most welcoming site in the dark of night, but Tinsley is thrilled as she pulls into its long driveway. Her feet are incredibly sore at the moment, dance classes combined with a part time job will do that to a person, but she doesn't let it show on her face as Artemis walks toward her car to meet her.

"Hi, love!" Tinsley greets him, shutting her car door behind her and giving him a hug. Artemis finds his favorite vanilla scent that usually envelopes Tinsley is tainted with the smell of alcohol, a result of her job, but nothing he can do about that. Anyway, he hasn't seen her in two weeks, their school schedules make it difficult to meet up, so he can live with it.

"Did you miss me?" Tinsley asks with a playful smile.

"Naturally." Artemis admits. Butler appears, grabbing Tinsley's big duffle bag out of the back seat of the car.

"Wait - I can get that -" Tinsley starts, but Butler will have none of it.

"This is nothing." he says and slings it over his back as if it were a child's rag doll. Tinsley never fails to be amazed at Butler's strength. She follows him and Artemis inside, into the entrance room where a table is set up with a few cookies and various other refreshments.

"When are they going to be here?" Tinsley asks excited.

"Within the hour." Artemis replies.

Tinsley takes a seat on the couch, holding in her sigh of relief at not having to stand on her feet for a little while so as not to draw Artemis's attention to her discomfort. She doesn't want him to worry about her. A look up at him though, and she finds its too late. He's already sensed something is wrong. The one downfall of having a genius for a boyfriend is nothing slips past him.

"Let me see how bad they are." He requests.

"How bad what are?" Tinsley, even though she knows its hopeless, tries to play naïve.

"Your feet. They're bothering you, I can tell. Your face has been one of discomfort since you first greeted me, though you did try to hide it. Then you walked noticeably slower to the house than normal, combined with the face of relief when you sat down leads me to conclude your feet are causing you pain."

"Well, they're a little -" Tinsley starts. "They're causing me a little pain, but they're fine."

"Is that so?" Artemis says flatly.

"It is." Tinsley says defensively.

What happens next is a blur to both Tinsley and Artemis. Artemis advances to forcefully remove her shoes, Tinsley backs further the couch and extends her leg in a motion to kick him away, but he grabs this leg, surprising Tinsley so much she jumps right as he motions to take off her shoes, causing him to fall, in turn pulling Tinsley down on the floor on top of him, the sight Butler walks into the room to find.

"I can - leave, I suppose." He says with a teasing grin.

"That is quite unnecessary." Artemis says as he and Tinsley stand, him with her right shoe in hand. Tinsley can't move fast enough back on the couch; Artemis sees the thick calluses and a painful looking blister on the side of her foot that's been rubbing against the side ridge of her flats, the shoes she's required to wear at work.

"I want you to quit your job." He says curtly. "Its too much work for you combined with the dance classes."

"No!" Tinsley says, horrified at the thought. "I have to pay for school."

"I told you I can fund your education if that's the sole reason for the job."

"No!" She repeats heatedly.

"I funded your mothers hospital bills before, what's the problem with this?" Artemis inquires, frustrated, and then he feels guilty for bringing up that subject. Tinsley is silent for a moment. Its been a little over a year since her mother passed on, but of course its still a touchy subject. Tinsley just doesn't want to have to rely on Artemis for anything - what kind of a girlfriend does that? She has to prove to him - to herself - she's capable of standing on her own.

"I'm sorry, Tinsley -" Artemis says softly, regretting bringing that up.

"This is completely different. I had no choice then." She finally answers.

"I still think this is too much." Artemis says, gesturing towards her foot.

A pause as Tinsley fully processes the current situation.

"Are we arguing now?" Tinsley suddenly asks, her hazel eyes filled with absolute sadness at the thought.

"This is just a minor altercation." He assures her, softening his expression. Its one they've had a few times before - he never liked the idea of her working a job at a pub in the first place. Mostly because he's afraid some drunkard will ask her to drive her home one night, insisting he has no other driver, and she'll be more than happy to oblige being as nice as she is, and the guy will end up being a psycho and he'll never see her again. Illogical of course, but, and he admits this with a noticeable degree of annoyance, Tinsley makes him feel and think illogically. Love is illogical.

A heavy knock on the door interrupts the minor altercation.

"They're here!" Tinsley beams, excited to the point of showing no sign of the argument she just had.

****

*A/N*

Review, review, sings I!


	3. Bad Omens

Artemis opens the door as three fairies unshield in the dark night.

"You have my permission to enter." He says.

"Of course we do, Arty!" Holly says cheerfully. "Hi, Tinsley!"

"Hey, Holly!" Tinsley says with a bright smile.

Holly, Trouble, and an older looking fairy with a shawl wrapped around her enter the manor.

"And your name is?" Artemis asks the fairy he's unfamiliar with.

"Abatha." She replies in a gravely voice.

"She's the amazing fortune teller fairy Haven has been talking about!" Holly says. Right. This whole gathering is a celebration of Holly and Trouble's one year anniversary. Artemis arranged for his parents and the twins to go on a cruise in the Bahamas so they won't come face to face with the non-human guests.

"My whole life has been dedicated to combining my fairy magic with the human past time of fortune telling. So I think you'll find my predictions are far more accurate." Abatha informs Artemis as she takes a sip of punch from the refreshment table.

"We're lucky to have convinced her to join us, but I thought it'd be so fun for everyone to have their fortunes told!" Holly says excitedly, taking a seat by Tinsley on the entrance room's couch. Trouble gives Artemis a weary look and sits beside Holly.

"Right, well, first off, I extend my most heartfelt congratulations on your first year of holy matrimony." Artemis says with his best smile.

"Thank you, Arty." Holly says happily.

Artemis may be wrong, but there seems to be a small amount of tension between Holly and Trouble tonight. If nothing else, Trouble certainly does look more agitated than normal. He decides to let this feeling slide for the sake of the mood of the party.

"Alright, dearies, I'll start." Abatha says as she pulls out slips of paper from a worn looking brown satchel.

"The lucky couple goes first, goes first they do."

She dips her hand into a smaller pouch, pulling out different colored rock pieces the size of bath crystals.

"These are very much like your human mood rings," she informs them as she puts a small amount in each of Holly and Trouble's hands. After a few seconds of the crystals being cupped in their hands, Abatha tells them to open them.

All the crystals in their hand are blue.

"Blue means mostly happiness is in your future," she says with a smile. "From this, I can read the crystals in more detail."

Artemis believes this whole thing is a lot of bogus, but he decides not to let his skepticism sour the mood. The whole thing is intended to be simply fun. Abatha cups Holly's crystals and places them on a slip of paper, on which words begin to form.

_Little patter of little feet,_

_Dimpled smile, chubby cheeks,_

_Your future's bound to hold_

_A curly haired, little soul_

Holly reads it, her smile growing bigger with every word.

"Trouble, I think this means we're going to be parents in the future!"

"The near future as it happens." Abatha informs them

Trouble nearly chokes, not sure at first how to take this sudden news. His crystals spill from his hands from the shock, which merits him a stern glare from Abatha. The crystals are no longer readable.

"You'll be happy with the little one." Abatha assures him, "I'm sure you'll be a wonderful father."

"Now on to you two." She says, focusing on Artemis and Tinsley. She gives them no chance to object before she shoves crystals in their hands as well.

When they open them, their hearts both sink. Both of their handfuls of crystals are pure red.

Abatha pales. "Oh, dear."

She doesn't need to inform them that red is not a sign of pleasant things to come.

Nevertheless, she takes the crystals from Tinsley's hand and places them on a piece of her special paper.

_A choice you'll soon be forced to make_

_Holds in it a lot of weight_

_The one you love, or you yourself -_

_Who shall you forsake?_

Tinsley takes the slip of paper and shoves it in her jeans pocket. "Well, that's interesting." she says, trying to act as if the message doesn't bother her.

"And your turn -" Abatha says turning to Artemis.

"I believe I'll pass."

Abatha will hear none of it, taking the crystals of his hand by force and laying them on a new slip of paper. The words spread slowly across it.

_In a time of great distress_

_One you love lays in rest_

_Death will play a horrid number _

_For her eyes are shut in eternal slumber_

Artemis doesn't touch it, he doesn't dare. Its all an unrealistic game, nothing more, but it doesn't make this fortune any less morbid. Holly and Trouble leave shortly after the festivities conclude (which is after the group watches the movie Bennie and Joon, an attempt to regain the festive atmosphere).

"One more thing, Artemis -I hate to do this but I have to tell you, for your own safety -," Holly says before she walks out the manor's massive front door, hesitating, "Opal is on the loose. We have no lead on her location on the moment."

This is it, the reason for the tension between Holly and Trouble he'd felt earlier.

"Who is Opal?" Tinsley asks, wanting an explanation for the sour expression now plastered on Artemis's face.

Artemis' face falls. No, he doesn't believe in fortune telling. But if Opal is on the loose - him and Tinsley's fortunes very well might become reality.

"She's an extremely bad person." He says, not allowing his fear to show through his voice.

***A/N***

**Review, review or I have no idea if you like it and want more (I only wish I could read minds) So (slips on puppy dog face with big pleading eyes) - review please? :) **


	4. Nightmare

**MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE COLLEGEOF DANCE**

Minerva starts unpacking her things, unsure how she is going to spend this weekend when there is a knock on the door, causing her to drop a picture of her family she had been in the middle of hanging.

"Who is it?" She says, making no attempt to hide her anger as she slings the door open to reveal a very - handsome boy. His eyes are a forest green and his hair is short and layered, a light brown shade. He looks at least two years older than her -possibly more.

"Minerva Paradizo?" He asks, his lips pressed in a firm line of annoyance.

"It would appear I have the disadvantage then," Minerva says, none too happy about it. "I believe I have the right to know your name as well then."

"Liam." He says, stepping into her room without her permission and sitting in her swivel chair set up at her desk, which is now coated with papers - she's been studying the different class curriculums. Thank goodness her father forced her to take ballet lessons as a younger girl. The audition for this college went well, but she doesn't want to fall behind in the dance courses she's unfamiliar with.

"Excuse me -" Minerva says, thoroughly frustrated at this point.

"Shut the door." Liam insists, not caring about her obvious annoyance.

Minerva does, just so no one can hear his screams as she strangles him….

"I'm a bit of a messenger." He says before she can act on her evil intentions. "O will no longer be in contact with you. Me and you will be working as a team to carry out our part of her plan, and I will tell you what she wants you to know."

"Is that so?" Minerva asks with pursed lips. She can't doubt him - if he knows about O, then she has no reason to.

"That's right. And would you like to know what the first phase is?"

"I don't believe I have a choice." Minerva says icily.

"That's correct." Liam stands.

"Wait, I'm curious -" Minerva says, "why are you helping out - O?"

"O and I share a similar vision for the world, so I'm one of her henchman. Before you ask - I'm not exactly human." He informs her bluntly. "Nevertheless, this is how you'll see me, alright? I'm not telling you my true form, and you don't need to know, thanks to this shape shifting invention of O's that I'm using."

Insanity, this is insanity, Minerva thinks, panicking at the thought. This is the first time, though this whole crazy mess is indeed overwhelming, that she's truly felt she's in way over her head. The only problem is, with no idea who she's dealing with, its nearly impossible to plan an escape route.

"Of course you're not human," Minerva says, finding she isn't too surprised. After all, she's already concluded O isn't human - why would her henchman be? "Alright then, what is the first phase of the plan?"

The side of his lips curl upward in a breathtakingly sexy evil grin.

"You have to kiss me."

"What?" Minerva sputters. "No, no -"

Goodness, that evil grin is sexy.

He lets out a chuckle, takes out a small remote control from the pocket of his jeans and presses an even small button. His body changes before Minerva's eyes - into _Artemis_.

"Do you understand now?" He asks in the Irish criminal mastermind's voice.

"Yes…"

**THE NEXT DAY, FOWL MANOR**

Artemis wakes to find Tinsley asleep on the leather couch in the corner of his room. He knows she hadn't been there when he fell asleep…

"Artemis…,"she mutters as she rolls over. Holly has informed him she has a tendency to talk in her sleep, but it still comes as a shock to hear his name so clearly, "you're my favorite."

With this statement his heart beats a little faster, as always. Its one thing to see the words in a text, quite another to hear them said aloud.

"Tinsley?" He asks softly, a little agitation showing in his voice.

Tinsley wakes up with a start. Its only then he notices she doesn't look well. Her skin is three shades paler than normal, strands of hair are stuck to her face with beads of sweat. She's been sleeping without covers on the couch, so one would think she's cold, but it appears the opposite is true.

"I'm in your room?" She asks puzzled, taking in her surroundings. "Ohmygosh, I'm so sorry…honestly, I don't remem…"

She doesn't finish the sentence though, as she obviously recalls now how she wound up in here.

"Well, do you care to enlighten me as to how you ended up in my room?" Artemis asks with his arms crossed.

"I walked naturally." She says, sticking her tongue playfully out at him as she does her best impression of talking like him. "Its just - I had a really bad nightmare."

The dream had been horrid. In it, she can't move, can't see. She's lying on a bed. She can hear Artemis, though. His breathing is ragged, not sobbing, but panicked. She feels his warm grip on her wrist, and a voice she doesn't know.

'How much are going to risk for her, Artemis Fowl?'

The grip on her wrist is released and she hears footsteps as he walks away, and she wants to stop him, grab him, scream, 'I'm fine, I'm fine, see I'm breathing, I'm fine!"

But she's helpless, completely unable to move even a finger, plastered to the bed with a warm substance all over her, and he continues running away, and as the thud of his footsteps fade, this overwhelming feeling he's never coming back spreads throughout every fiber of her body.

Remembering it makes her mouth become painfully dry.

"This nightmare, what was it about?"

How can she tell him she believes its connected to the fortunes yesterday? She'll probably sound crazy, and he'll probably think less of her for being so influenced by something a fortune teller fabricated for mere entertainment. If she lies about the dream though, he'll know. How much does say then?

"You ran away from me." Tinsley says softly.

"Is that all?" Artemis asks his eyebrows pinching together in a deep frown.

"Yes." Tinsley says with a smile. "I had the same nightmare twice last night - after the second time, I sort of remember I walking in here to wake you up - but I just fell asleep on your couch instead. I had a better dream then."

Butler must have heard her enter - at the sound of anyone entering his room, especially at night, Butler is on the scene within a few seconds, so he must have _seen_ her enter to. Then he just let her walk in. He decides to question his friend's motives for letting her simply enter later. If his parents were home, or if they found out about his, Tinsley would certainly no longer be in their good graces.

Tinsley stands and turns to leave, not wanting to overstay her welcome, especially when she wasn't exactly welcome, but she stops in the doorway.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" she says, smiling widely at him, something she seems to be able to do no matter what time it is. "Good morning, Artemis."

A look of warmth spreads across his face, but due to it being morning, its only an incomplete grin, if that. "Good morning, Tinsley."

***A/N***

**For those of you keeping up with this story - meaning you've read all the way to this chapter - I would really appreciate it if you'd review so I know your thoughts on the story so far! I can't make it any better without some cc, and if you think its great as it is, well, that'd be wonderful to hear as well **


	5. Minerva playing nice?

***A/N* I'm sorry I haven't added a chapter to this in a while! I've been super busy with homework and writing some original fiction and blah blah blah this and that lol - hopefully the next update will be sooner! Enjoy! And review please **

BACK AT THE COLLEGE OF DANCE

Minerva stirred from a pleasant night of rest and jumped, not recognizing her - surroundings for a few seconds. She flung the covers off of her in a childish huff, embarrassed at having had such a momentary lapse of memory.

"Morning sunshine," Liam greeted her, holding a cup of tea in one hand and reading a newspaper in the other. Minerva screamed.

"What are you doing in my room?" She hissed through gritted teeth.

"Having breakfast," Liam answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He brought the delicate china cup to his lips, one of _her _delicate china cups to his lips, and took another sip, letting out an exaggerated sigh as if to emphasize how completely normal he thought this was.

"Get out, get out right _now _or I will make your death look like an accident."

Liam didn't doubt the obnoxious mud girl's ability to do so, but he wasn't affected by her words in the least. "Yeah, but I don't think you will. Because that would be interfering with O's plans, and that will result in - unpleasant things, for both you and your family."

"Oh, so I have to just go along with everything you say?" Minerva struggled to keep her voice low enough so as not to disrupt her neighbors, a courteousy she wouldn't have bothered to provide except she didn't want anyone knocking on her door wanting to know what was going on and finding _him_.

"Do I really have to answer that? I mean, that's going to make me sound like a bad guy if I do." Liam joked with a sarcastic smirk.

"You are the most infuriating person I've ever had the displeasure of working with! How long have you been in here? Did you watch me sleep?"

Liam fake gagged, and his eyes flickered with playfulness. "As if I'm interested in watching a mud girl sleep. Gross. I just got here for breakfast."

_He is handsome, I'll admit, but -_

"No!" Minerva blurted to herself, trying to dash the thought from her mind.

"O did say you were a bit on the crazy side - and coming from her, that's saying something."

Minerva focused all her energy into a death stare, quite illogically hoping it would kill Liam where he stood.

"Would you like a doughnut? They are delightful! And contrary to what I've been led to believe, you don't _actually_ have to be a mud person in the police force to eat them! I didn't even present a police badge or anything at the front counter and the lady just let me purchase them! It was amazing!"

Minerva would have laughed if she wasn't so angry.

Only police could eat doughnuts? How absurd. She took one, only the slightest hint of a smile showing itself. They were glazed, her favorite.

"I'm still incredibly mad and creeped out by you." Minerva informed him.

"I still think you are a foul tempered mud girl who smells." Liam retorted.

Minerva resisted the urge to say something, but only because she was in the middle of a bite and she didn't want to look like an idiot talking with her mouth full. When she'd finished the sugar coated treat, she glared at him, as if it'd been poisoned.

"I know you are not here for a social visit." She pressed.

"Well aren't you quick." Liam said with a chuckle. "Alright, here is the deal. You need to make friends with Tinsley so she'll invite you into the Fowl manor."

She wanted to point out how unnecessary that was, that she could just have Artemis let her in, but he probably wouldn't. Nevertheless, she didn't like the idea of having to be nice to that simple minded man stealer.

"Next weekend you need to go home with Tinsley."

"I can't make friends with her in one week!" Minerva objected. No one _was_ that trusting.

"Get on her good side, tell her you have no place else to go - which is true - and it will be fine." Liam said as he took another bite of his doughnut. The crumbs from the glaze lined his very attractive lips, and it was distracting Minerva. She grabbed a napkin from her bed's side table and tossed it to him.

"You're disgusting," She told him as she motioned for him to wipe his face with it. He got the hint and wiped his mouth.

"You still have to kiss me," he reminded her with an arrogant smile.

_Oh god, let this all be over with soon. Let a miracle happen and this will be over…_

\

The following week was very strange for Tinsley.

Minerva insisted on eating lunch with her at the local Café on Monday; Tinsley didn't altogether mind, she was just wary of Minerva after their initial meeting. It was pleasant however, as if Minerva was a completely different person. She talked about how she was so excited the senior recital was coming up and how she wanted to get one of the solo spots. Tinsley nodded in agreement, she wanted a solo spot to. There were five solo spots available, and the people who filled them would be determined by an audition that would be held tomorrow.

On Tuesday at the auditions Minerva let Tinsley borrow a hair tie as Tinsley had been a hurry and forgot to bring one, which put her in a sour mood. She didn't like how absent minded she could be from time to time, but Minerva helping her out had her even more confused.

On Wednesday the results of the audition were posted. Both Tinsley and Minerva received a solo spot.

"We should celebrate!" Minerva informed Tinsley with giddy happiness. "Why don't I go home with you this weekend and we can work on our choreography and song selection?"

Tinsley didn't know how to respond. She'd never had a friend over at the manor, and she wasn't even sure if she could call Minerva a friend, but Minerva was giving her this pleading puppy dog look that was hard to say no to.

"Alright." She gave in with a smile, actually finding herself happy Minerva was coming. So her first impression hadn't been that great - Minerva was being nice to her now, that was what mattered.

On Thursday she called Artemis to inform him Minerva would be coming home with her this weekend. Artemis didn't sound happy with it; he tried to talk Tinsley out of it, but Tinsley would hear none of it.

Which leads to Friday, the two of them talking happily on the car drive home as if they had been friends their whole lives. By the time they pulled into the driveway of the estate, Tinsley was excited and looking forward to a fun weekend away from school.


	6. A Brewing Storm

"I'll let him know we are here." Tinsley smiled as she shut the car door. The gravel of the driveway that led to Fowl manor crunched beneath her feet. She had to admit, she was nervous. Artemis really had something against visitors, and she didn't want to be on his bad side, not when things seemed so rocky as it was.

Tinsley didn't need to let him know of her arrival; he watched with a look of disgust as Minerva stepped out of the car and surveyed the manor. He was on the second floor, looking out the huge window of the study room. His eyes observed Minerva and Tinsley through a thin crack in large maroon curtains

"Butler, we might very well have a problem," Artemis announced through gritted teeth. He watched as Minerva flung her nose in the air, approaching the estate as though a foul odor seeped from it. Her lips were pursed in obvious agitation as she flipped a loose gold curl off her shoulders.

"No, we most certainly have a problem on our hands. No question." Artemis corrected himself, something that didn't happen very often.

Butler, sitting in a chair in the study, didn't know what Artemis was talking about, but he didn't like the sound of it. He cocked his gun, prepping it for use. Artemis, catching the gesture out of his peripheral vision, shook his head.

"Not that kind of crisis. Well, it certainly might require the use of firearms before all is said and done," he said with a forced grin. He had to try and make light of it, after all. At this point, that was all he could do.

Butler looked at him in obvious confusion.

"It was a joke, old friend," Artemis informed him with a slight sigh.

Angeline was the first to greet Tinsley and Minerva. She wore a simple elegant black dress and a big grin, as if her own daughter was coming home for a visit. Considering how graciously she'd accepted Tinsley after her mother's death, that wasn't too off the mark. With open arms she gripped Tinsley in a big hug. A sweet, undoubtedly expensive, perfume bombarded Tinsley's nostrils. She resisted the urge to sneeze, but just barely. It'd been close enough to get her heart beating faster with worry as she subtly pulled herself from Angeline's grasp. What if she had sneezed on Artemis's mom? That wouldn't have ended well; not that Angeline wouldn't have handled it in a civilized manner, but the dry cleaning bill would have been huge, and Angeline probably would have never looked at Tinsley the same way again. She certainly wouldn't be so quick to hug Tinsley anymore.

"It's so very nice to see you, dear!" She said in a light, sing-song voice. Her eyes fell upon Minerva, who stood awkwardly in the open front door with a scowl on her face. Liam was crammed into the back trunk of Tinsley's car, and she was contemplating when would be a good time to change that. Butler and Artemis would have to be distracted, and the time frame didn't seem too flexible. Nevertheless, she could pull it off. She would have to.

"And what is your name, dear?" Angeline inquired with a sweet smile. Minerva shifted uncomfortably, caught off guard. She had been consumed in planning the diversion she would need to temporarily distract Artemis and Butler. As if Angeline's smile was the light bulb, the idea clicked in her mind, and a twisted smile formed across her lips. To Angeline and Tinsley, it looked perfectly pleasant.

"I'm Minerva Paradizo. It is a pleasure meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," Angeline said, beaming at Minerva's charm. She had been unsure of the girl at first, having seen a light scowl on her face, but that must have been a trick of the mind. Maybe Minerva's reaction to the new environment had caused the menacing look? In any case, the girl seemed harmless now, quite pleasant actually, and Angeline liked having company over since it was such a rare occurrence. "Any friend of Tinsley's is a friend of mine."

"Is Artemis here?" Tinsley asked.

Angeline rolled her eyes and chuckled slightly. "Yes, but you know how he is. I haven't seen him all day except for breakfast. He should be in his study. Oh! -," she declared with excitement as she pulled a cell-phone out of her pocket, "I will just call him and tell him you're here!"

Before Tinsley could say it was quite alright, she'd go and get him herself, Angeline was dialing the number on the shiny keys of her sleek, black cell-phone. She'd only bought it recently, and so, she was rather quick to use it in even the most unnecessary of circumstances. A few mumbled words later, she snapped it shut with a bit of a forced smile. "He'll be down shortly."

Tinsley smiled and nodded -knowing Artemis, he'd tried to delay coming down to greet the guests. He might have concocted this really brilliant excuse, but Angeline wouldn't buy it. He really didn't like company.

"They're only staying the weekend," Butler, having been informed of Minerva's visit through Angeline's phone call, reminded his charge. Artemis paced the room, deep in thought. The way he saw it, he had two options: avoid Minerva altogether, though that would probably mean avoiding Tinsley as well, since, inevitably, the two would be close together. Tinsley wouldn't allow her personal guest to feel alone or unwelcome here, and he didn't like the idea of Tinsley being here and not talking to her that much

. Or he could force some light talk, which would be incredibly awkward. Putting on a mask of control and calmness wasn't the issue - that he could execute, quite masterfully, in fact. Except the situation wasn't in his control, even if he feigned it. He knew Minerva couldn't be here by coincidence. She had to have a plan of some sort, and he couldn't even fathom what it could possibly be. It was probably some silly attempt at revenge, but he couldn't underestimate her. So no, as much as he'd like to believe he could manage this, as much as he'd like to believe Minerva's hypothetical scheme didn't pose a threat, too many variables hung loosely in the air. He simply didn't hold all the cards in this scenario. Not that he didn't intend to change that.

**A/N: Um - please review -please? Even if it is just a one line comment? I love feedback!**


	7. A so called soulmate and a peace treaty

Artemis pointlessly shifted a lump of caviar onto the other side of his plate. He had put off greeting Tinsley and Minerva as long as he could, but he wasn't allowed to skip dinner, a new policy Angeline had started to enforce. He didn't want to focus on the conversation, though it seemed pleasant enough. Minerva rambled about her chateau in France, and Angeline listened in, fascinated, which worried Artemis a great deal. Angeline didn't exactly know of his relationship with Tinsley - at the moment, she assumed the two were merely friends. It wasn't as if he expected her to disapprove of the relationship, but is was a possibility, so he figured keeping it on the down low was convenient for the moment. Though that didn't stop Tinsley from changing her relationship status on Facebook ('oh, come on, Artemis, _please_? It isn't like your parents are going to see it!').

Neither of his parents had ever even heard of Facebook, and he didn't have one, he didn't have enough faith in the site's privacy features, so all she could do was change the status to in a relationship. She couldn't say with whom she was in a relationship, so even as paranoid as he was, he relented and allowed it.

But now Minerva had suddenly pushed her way into this picture, and Artemis felt uneasy. How did he explain to Tinsley that this Minerva had been involved in a criminal adventure with him - could that be taken a different way? It didn't sound odd, did it? Artemis wondered as he actually took a bit of the caviar, merely for show, as he had lost his appetite.

"Oh, I was trained in classical ballet as a child," Minerva informed Angeline, much to Angeline's delight. Angeline hung on her every word, and threw nods of approval to Artemis. Artemis struggled not to slump in his seat; there was no excuse for slouching, slouching was unkempt. He was deeply worried though. In Angeline's eyes, Minerva currently looked like a great candidate for his love interest. She was beautiful, could feign charm extraordinarily well, had a stunning academic record, and she had money. Yes, to Angeline, a perfect match.

Tinsley was avoiding her caviar, Artemis noticed, but not for the same reason as him, he was certain. While he refrained from eating it due to a lack of appetite, she simply didn't like it. She preferred what she called 'normal' food, like a sandwich, or a piece of pizza, or a salad.

"That's impressive!" Angeline gushed at Minerva, who had started naming off academic awards at Angeline's request. "That sounds like such a prestigious award!"

Because it was, Artemis noted dryly.

"Artemis, isn't that impressive?" Angeline smiled at him.

Artemis quickly nodded, hating being put in the spotlight. Angeline was having a field day with this. In her mind, she'd found Artemis's soul mate, and Tinsley didn't look happy about it either. A light, vampire-like smile spread across his face. Her jealous face was almost cuter than the face of deep concentration she made when she tried playing chess with him.

Tinsley was quiet, she decided to let things play out. She felt secure with her relationship, no need to be flustered over Angeline praising her roommate.

Dinner seemed to last forever.

Tinsley knocked on Artemis's bedroom door after she'd helped Butler clean the dishes and clear the table. Artemis prayed it wasn't Minerva as he opened it, and breathed a sigh of relief to discover it wasn't. He made a mental note that installing a peep-hole on his door in the near future might prove beneficial.

"What do you need?" he asked softly. Tinsley pulled a Dr. Pepper from behind her back.

"It's a peace treaty." She smiled playfully.

"A caffeinated beverage counts as a peace treaty?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It was this or a blueberry lollipop," She handed him the drink, and he took it, with the slightest smile. Butler must have recently reminded her of Artemis's little tidbit with Holly. He didn't even mind. He couldn't explain it - with Tinsley, he felt extremely comfortable, and yet he was also at his most alert. A constant flow of adrenaline pulsed through him in her presence, but it kept him - calm.

" A lollipop would have meant war," he joked with a deadpan expression.

Another person not as close to Artemis would have thought he was dead serious. After all, he wasn't the most skilled at joking as it wasn't a regular occurrence with him. Tinsley knew him well enough though, and she took it as a sign the peace treaty had been accepted. She let out a soft chuckle.

"I'm sorry. I know you don't like visitors much, but Minerva and I need to practice for the senior recital."

"I don't mind," Artemis's reply was quick - too quick. Tinsley knew it was a lie. "Where is Minerva?"

"She's warming up in the guest bedroom. We're going to pick out our music tonight."

Artemis didn't like this. "Well, I wouldn't leave her waiting."

Minerva shouldn't be alone in the manor, not for one minute, of that fact Artemis was all too aware. Tinsley smiled and gave Artemis a kiss before running off, leaving Artemis's heart racing. Her ability to do that, he thought grimly, simply wasn't fair. He took a sip of Dr. Pepper, to find he'd actually become rather fond of it.

*** Author's Notes***

**Rate and Review please! So far a decent number of people have viewed this, and I want reviews because they're my favorite! My favorite!**


	8. A Good Friend

"This won't work! Tinsley, Artemis, I need a different outfit," Minerva pulled Tinsley to Artemis' room as she knocked loudly on his wooden door's entrance.

Artemis breathed a deep, calming sigh before opening the door, repeating the phrase _don't kill Minerva, Don't kill Minerva _over and over inside his head.

"What do you want, Minerva?" Artemis asked with a forced smile. He didn't want Tinsley to think he wasn't a good host. Minerva, who knew the exact reason Artemis plastered such a ridiculous expression on his face, who knew it was only to appease Tinsley, felt jealous. Not that she actually cared, she reminded herself. _Soon Arty will be mine and so will his smile! Or not, maybe I'll insist he doesn't smile. That's ghastly!_

"I need a new dance outfit," Minerva repeated with exaggerated patience.

"Well, why don't you go and pick one up then?" Artemis somehow managed to say this without coming off as rude; well, in any case he maintained the dangerous _kill Minerva_ aura that was quickly spreading through his system. Being interrupted in the middle of his studies-more like research for future inventions and innovations-irritated him, and for dance attire, of all things?

"Tinsley will drive you, why are you bothering me for this?" he clarified his thoughts as Minerva remained planted in front of him, her mouth agape with shock at his complete disinterest.

"Well, Tinsley needs a new leotard as well. Can't have the prima ballerinas looking all cheap when it is out time to shine, can we?"

Artemis' eyebrow rose even further. "I don't see how that involves me."

"Minerva, we should just go-" Tinsley pulled gently on Minerva's thin wrist, Tinley's expression patient and calm. She knew Artemis needed alone time for his projects, and pulling him along for this seemed silly.

"But she is your girlfriend! You are supposed to do things together-like go shopping, eat strawberry sundaes after a long stroll through a flower-filled park. Walks on the beach as you stare into the waves and see forever with each other-and shopping. For dance clothes for your girlfriend's dance recital."

Artemis almost repulsed in horror; that whole ramble sounded like something Orion would've said in the days of Atlantis Complex, not Minerva.

Minerva gave one final pout, a false plea. After all, she actually didn't want Artemis to go, but to leave without offering him to tag along would come off as more suspicious.

"I'm rather busy at the moment," he informed Minerva.

"Right, sorry Artemis, we'll be leaving now." Tinsley pulled Minerva away, Minerva pretending the entire time to look defeated.

Only when the two reached the front door did Artemis register how dangerous Minerva alone with Tinsley could be. If Minerva was here for revenge, as he already assumed, Tinsley most likely played a huge part.

"Wait!" he cried as he threw on his suit jacket and raced down the stairs at a pace that, for Artemis, merited a record.

Minerva resisted the urge to stomp her foot in frustration at the deviation from her plan. Looks like this would be a bit more of an improvisational job then. Nothing she couldn't handle. Her lips curled upward in a wicked grin. Actually, this may be more fun.

Artemis and Butler followed closely behind Tinsley and Minerva as the girls zoomed into the only dance shop in town, Minerva feigning excitement and giddiness all too well. She convinced Artemis to at least let her and Tinsley take Tinsley's car, in which Liam still suffered the bruises and discomfort of being locked in the trunk. Minerva said they wanted time to have some 'girl talk'. Butler and Artemis took the Fowl car, not wanting to tune into that for one second.

"I don't like this," Butler muttered under his breath.

"I know. That isn't Minerva in there. She's acting quite-odd," Artemis agreed. "But until I know what she's up to, the most I can do is keep an eye on the situation. I wouldn't want to over-react and cause a scene. After all, this could just be an astronomically surreal coincidence that Minerva is here in Dublin, studying dance at Tinsley's college."

"I don't believe in coincidences," Butler said as he swung open the shop's glass door.

"Neither do I," Artemis whispered as he followed him inside.

"Does this one look okay?" Tinsley gave a twirl in a metallic silver leotard with a shimmery see-through dance skirt to match. Artemis' heart raced for a second-she looked stunning, and the smile she wore right now gave him a feeling almost equal to the euphoria of a scientific breakthrough.

Minerva clapped her hands and gave a squeal of delight, uncertain if she was over-doing it. After all, she hadn't had too many girlfriends before, and what she knew of their social interactions was taken from movies.

"Wonderful! Doesn't she look wonderful, Arty?"

Artemis cringed at Minerva using his nickname. For him, it shattered the moment.

"Yes," he agreed.

Butler, still on guard but having concluded the situation to be harmless, sat on a wooden chair a few feet from the dressing room's entrance, ready to attack anyone at anytime if necessary.

"I have to use the bathroom!" Minerva chirped. She acted as if she were looking around for one, but she knew this particular shop didn't have one. In order for her to use a restroom, she'd have to go to a completely different building. "I'm going to try next door, okay?"

Not really needing permission from anyone, she left without so much as an acknowledgement she'd even spoke.

As soon as she disappeared, Artemis breathed a sigh of relief.

"Listen, Tinsley, I don't think you should be friends with Minerva."

Tinsley looked crestfallen. "Why?"

"I'm saying-she might not be exactly the person she seems," he tried to explain, not sure if he should just come out and spill his history with Minerva.

"She was quite mean when I first met her," Tinsley admitted. "But I think that's just because of the whole getting used to a new environment thing. She's really nice, though."

"What if she isn't?" Artemis reiterated through gritted teeth.

Tinsley gave him a puzzled look. "You act like you know her or something."

"I-I don't," he stumbled, unsure what to say next or if he should push it.

"Is it so unlikely that she's actually nice? Why are you so worried?" Tinsley asked. "She hasn't done anything wrong."

_Yet _being the key word, Artemis thought glumly. "What if she's planning to? I just want you to consider that she is simply putting on a mask of friendship for the sake of something that would benefit her."

Tinsley didn't feel so pretty in her sparkly leo anymore. "Artemis-Minerva is a good friend to me. It isn't as if I have a lot of them since I started living in Dublin. So, could you please stop talking as if you are expecting her to mess up or do something wrong?"

"Miss Collins," Butler stood, not wanting to see the disagreement between the two youth go any further. "Artemis' concerns are well meant."

Tinsley smiled at Butler. He intimidated her once, but when you go know him he started to resemble a loyal teddy bear. A huge, weapon-toting loyal teddy bear.

"I know. I'm sorry. Let's just forget this entire conversation, okay?"

At that point Minerva stepped into the shop, wearing an expression of satisfaction. Seeing that oh so familiar look, Artemis knew without a doubt Minerva was up to something.

"I just saw this adorable café less than a block from here- we should have lunch there!" she announced, not waiting for agreement before pulling Tinsley behind her. Artemis and Butler had no choice but to follow.


	9. She's So Gone

Tinsley took a seat across from Artemis at a small table inside the café, and buried her face in the menu. The vibes between the two were definitely not happy and carefree, Butler noticed. Minerva busied herself with the friendship act, chattering meaningless, everyday things to such a common girl repulsed her more than words could say, but anyone watching the scene would never be able to tell. Tinsley tried to keep up with Minerva and continue acting interested, but her mind was filled with so many different thoughts about Artemis. Artemis wanting her to quit her job. Artemis wanting her to stop being friends with Minerva. Artemis being-well, Artemis, and 98% of the time that was a good thing because she loved Artemis, but right now she felt suffocated.

Minerva's cellphone rang. She took one look at it and smiled, a small upwards curl of the lip. Artemis didn't miss it, and his heart raced in fear. Something was about to happen. Now. Minerva was about to pull _something_.

"I know this is uber rude, but I have to take this." Minerva said, holding the phone to her ear.

_She's using normal teenage slang to talk around Tinsley, for the sake of becoming her friend,_ Artemis noticed. _How do I convince Tinsley not to trust her without raising any alarms?_

"Yeah, I'm at a café now. Just got here with my friends. You can totally swing by if you want! You're in town, right? Hold on, what's the name of the café-oh, lets see-Café Tazza."

_She's inviting someone who is important to her plan, telling them she's in place._

Unfortunately, that was all Artemis could surmise. He glanced at Butler briefly, and knew in that moment Butler had came to the same conclusion.

_But what can we do about it?_ Artemis tapped his fingers lightly against the edge of the table in frustration.

"Okay, yeah, I got to go, service is kind of bad here, and I'm waiting for the waiter. But you know. Whatever. And, um-keep it real."

Minerva almost cringed at her own use of slang. Artemis suppressed a snicker. Tinsley didn't even notice-there wasn't anything odd about Minerva using slang to her, because she didn't know Minerva _never _used slang up until she met Tinsley.

In any event, Minerva hung up the phone, satisfied that for the moment her end of the plan was complete.

Liam, on the other end of the line, started on his side of the plan.

Liam entered the café two minutes later and quickly spotted Minerva's group. Hard to miss with a man giant in a suit. For a moment he considered dropping the plan, not wanting to face the consequences of dealing with Butler. But he marched bravely toward the table, waving at Minerva as If he'd known her his entire life.

She smiled back warmly. For a second his heart raced a bit faster.

He shrugged it off. Nervousness. He was just nervous.

_Calm down. Focus, _he chanted over and over again in his head.

"I'm Liam," he said with his best smile. It felt odd smiling with a human's facial features. He extended his hand to shake Butler's hand first. The bodyguard quickly shook the young man's hand and returned to his debate between the apple Danish or the peach strudel. Next Liam shook Artemis' hand, though to say Artemis looked pleased to be shaking his hand would have been entirely inaccurate.

Liam figured that by shaking the males' hand, he would put them at ease. Just a little bit. Liam didn't realize Artemis and Butler were never at ease, especially when something was up. And a plan was unfolding right underneath Artemis' nose.

"So, Liam, how do you know Minerva?" Artemis asked, hoping Tinsley would pay attention and sense something wrong. Tinsley did pay attention, laying her menu down and smiling, because Minerva had never mentioned Liam.

Liam took a deep breath, than began, hesitantly.

"I was-at this place with-um-well, it had wooden floors and these things that come down from the ceiling with hoops that people try to shoot orange balls through, and-"

Minerva cleared her throat, realizing Liam hadn't the slightest clue about human pastimes and activities, let alone how to describe them. "What Liam is trying to say, is that he was playing basketball-"  
"Right, that's what the orange balls are called, basketballs-"

Minerva shot him a glare warning him not to talk again.

"And the basketball he threw flew off the rim of the hoop and hit me in the head. And he asked if I was okay, and we started talking."

Liam just nodded.

Artemis knew they were both lying from the first word, and also, Liam seemed off. _Why didn't he simply say he was at a gym? Perhaps he doesn't know the term. But its such a simple term, who doesn't know? Who doesn't know the word basketball either? _

"Hello, can I get you something?" A blonde haired waitress stood beside Liam with a nice smile.

Liam opened his mouth to speak-

"Coffee. He'll have coffee." Minerva said.

"Is Prentice working today?" Liam asked, knowing full well that the waiter named Prentice was now in the kitchen of the café, brewing coffee and baking sweets to pass off as a normal, everyday human.

"Yes-" The girl's smile faltered a tinge.

"Then can you have him bring me the coffee?"

The girl tried smiling again, the best she could. "Well, he started just yesterday, and he isn't the best server yet, so-"

"I want Prentice to serve me my coffee. It'll be fun to harass him a bit in his workplace." Liam flashed his best smile, and the waitress beamed, melting a little bit.

"Of course."

Minerva couldn't suppress her smile. _Nicely played, Liam._

A few seconds later a tall, lanky, blonde-haired teenager appeared, holding a cup of coffee. He was about to hand it to Liam when he tripped, spilling the contents of the mug all over Liam. Liam yelped, and the previous waitress dashed to his side quickly, dabbing his shirt with a wet cloth.

"I'm so sorry, I told you, he's new, and-" she tried to explain between dabs. Liam lifted up his shirt to find his peach colored flesh had became a tomato red.

Tinsley felt horrible for Liam; the coffee had been scalding. She laid a five dollar bill on the table to cover her coffee and pastry and stood.

"Where are you going?" Artemis asked with concern, struggling to keep his voice even.

"Aloe vera helps soothe burns faster than anything else. I'm going to go purchase some for Liam."

Liam stood, seeing his opportunity. "I should go then. I have no idea what Aloe vera is or whatnot, but I have a feeling I could use a lot of it right now."

Artemis started to stand, but Tinsley stopped him. "Stay."

"But-" Artemis started to protest.

Tinsley leaned closer to him, and dropped her voice down to a whisper. "I don't need a babysitter. I'll be back in less than five minutes tops, there's a store less than two blocks from here that carries the stuff."

Tinsley just needed some fresh air, and for the first time since she met him, she wanted to be away from Artemis. It was the worst feeling in the world.

Artemis watched with wide eyes as Tinsley and Liam walked out the door.

_What just happened?_

***A/N***

Please review! Please! I am determined to finish this story no matter how long it takes, but I could really use some encouragement with it. *cough cough* Thoughts please!


	10. Waking Up

"Minerva," Artemis began through clenched teeth. "What is going on?"

He didn't expect her to answer. In all honesty, he expected one of her signature arrogant smirks. Her reaction surprised him.

"Artemis…I'm very scared…"

It was then he noticed her hands were shaking. A sudden thought so dreadful his heart sank to the bottom of his stomach struck him "You're not really the mastermind behind this scheme, are you?"

Minerva looked him in the eye, and he noticed her eyes shone with tears. "This morning…I thought she'd be fine…if I just played along, she wouldn't actually get hurt. But I'm not…not so certain…anymore…what else could I do?"

Artemis raced out the cafe's door, fearing he wasted too much precious time already. Butler quickly followed.

"Liam won't hurt her!" Minerva cried; she had followed them, wiping the tears from her eyes every step of the way. "He won't…I don't think…"

"You've got to be kidding me," Artemis raced toward the corner drugstore Tinsley must have been talking about earlier.

Minerva felt the same guilt and sadness wash over her as when she watched Artemis disappear for three year; she thought that might've changed her. Taught her a lesson. It appeared she remained unaffected, only know her soul lurched with despair at having repeated the same mistakes. What if she put Tinsley in mortal danger? "I'm so sorry, Artemis…I didn't know what else I could do."

*Scene Shift here*

"So do you like Minerva or something?" Tinsley asked as she grabbed a bottle of liquid Aloe Vera that promised "instant burn relief". Liam was trying not to focus on his throbbing stomach; he swore at that moment never to order coffee again.

"Um…she's cool, I guess. Kind of a…what's the word…"

Tinsley chuckled a little bit, remembering when she first met Minerva as her roommate a little over a week ago. "She can be intimidating and mean sometimes. And arrogant."

"All those things," Liam hastily agreed.

Tinsley brought the bottle to the counter, and after fumbling around in her purse for a second, found the change to purchase it. She handed it to Liam with a smile.

"Apply this for a few days and it'll heal up no time. I'm really sorry about that waiter…I mean the coffee…it had to hurt."

The two stepped outside, and Liam examined the bottle, trying to figure out how to get the cap off.

Tinsley was too distracted to offer to help.

"Oh my goodness," she muttered. "Why is he running like that-?"

"Tinsley!" Artemis was racing toward her, looking flustered and out of breath. "Tinsley, run!"

"Run?" Tinsley whispered under her breath, still taken aback by Artemis' frantic running.

"D'arvit, Minerva, you had a simple task. Keep them occupied," Liam hissed to himself. Tinsley didn't think. She didn't have to one second longer. She started to run, not knowing what was happening, but trusting Artemis. She started, but Liam grabbed her wrist. "You seem like a nice girl, so I'm sorry, but-"

Then everything went black.

*Scene Shift Here*

"Ah, she's awake now," A mechanically manipulated voice cackled through a computer screen. Tinsley couldn't see anything. Total darkness, only softly illuminated by the giant computer screen's glow.

_A choice you'll soon be forced to make…_

A lead ball of despair settled in the pit of her stomach. She'd been kidnapped by Liam. That's all she remembered. "I..I'm…Tinsley Collins…I'm…twenty…"

"Do you have a point with this?" The voice cackled, almost like a chuckle, obviously relishing in Tinsley's complete and total fear.

Tinsley tried to move her wrists, but they were bound, and her ankles were chained together from a chain attached to a cold steel floor.

"I love dancing…" Tinsley gasped through a heaving sob, surprised at how quickly she was falling apart. Artemis would remain calm. Assess the situation

_Will hold with it a lot of weight…_

Tinsley scanned the area for anything that could be of use. A glint of silver was reflected from the screen's soft glow. A knife blade, but it was too far out of her reach, no matter how far she stretched her body; it was most likely placed there to tease her like a scared animal.

"Again, in what way does the information benefit me?" The mechanical voice mocked.

"My mother died four years ago…I still…sometimes…cry myself to sleep…" Tinsley continued, somehow managing to pull herself together enough to be able to speak.

"I don't care."

_The one you love, or you yourself…_

Tinsley's heart felt like it would fail due to exhaustion at the rapid rate it was beating.

"I'm so young…I haven't even gotten the chance to live yet…" Tinsley's eyes were so blurred with tears she couldn't see straight.

"I see what you're doing. Trying to do, at least. Play upon my sympathies by revealing meaningless personal details about yourself so that I, the hostage, will let you go," the voice droned.

"I don't…please, I don't want to die," Tinsley whispered, writhing and squirming to break free of the cuffs around her wrists. They were tighter than normal handcuffs, and her skin was now red and swollen around her wrists from the effort, making it counterproductive. After a few minutes, realizing the futility, she stopped.

"I don't want to die," she said, more clearly, stronger, than she'd said it before.

"You don't have to, I suppose," the voice droned nonchalantly.

_Who shall you forsake?_


	11. The First Cut

"She's gone…" Artemis muttered under his breath as Butler drove as fast as he could back to Fowl Manor without being pulled over; dealing with the authorities would waste precious time.

Artemis replayed the scene over and over in his head; Tinsley started to run. Liam withdrew a gun, a tranquilizer gun as he whispered something to Tinsley. Then the next second later, Liam morphed into a sprite. A winged, flying, sprite and took to the air, managing to carry Tinsley until suddenly they disappeared above the drugstore. A shielded shuttle above the building, that was the conclusion Artemis came to.

"Artemis-" Minerva began, forced to ride back with them.

"Don't speak, please." Artemis branded a scarily formal tone that was cold as ice. "I am trying to think of a plan of action, and you are the reason we are in this mess in the first place, so, if you would be so kind as to-"

"It wasn't me! I just got the note from someone who called themselves O. I had no choice!" Minerva, having regained her composure after what she deemed a horrendously embarrassing meltdown at the café, was realizing she now needed to pull Artemis together.

Artemis snapped out of his inner torment in a second.

"O?"

Minerva didn't see how it made a difference. "Yes-O. You think you might know this person?"

Artemis remembered Holly telling him Opal escaped. He also remembered the morbid fortune he received that night. It sent a shiver down his spine.

"Yes, I may. And she isn't a person. Unfortunately."

He pulled out his communicator to contact Holly, not even caring about Minerva seeing the technology at the moment. She would never have to know what it was capable of, anyway.

He put his fast typing skills to work, his fingers becoming a blur across the tiny keys.

_ I have a rough Idea of where Opal is. And, Holly-she has Tinsley._

*AF*

"Hello?" Tinsley called in a muffled voice. The computer screen had gone completely blank. It was pitch dark. Tinsley found it hard to breathe, to think, to remain calm. She felt her sanity slipping away, consumed by the fear of being left to die a slow, painful death.

She tried to pull her legs toward her, but the chain around her ankles held fast, as it had the past countless times she'd tried.

"What is it, stupid mud girl?" The computer screen glowed to life, fueled by the same mechanical voice as earlier.

"Hey, that's-not nice…" Tinsley mumbled, because really, she'd had no idea what she wanted to say to her kidnapper, whoever that was. She just couldn't stand being in the dark anymore. She needed the light. Her eyes began to scan the room, though she knew anything she could possibly use to escape would be out of her reach.

"Well then, if that's all you had to say-"

"No! No, I-just-okay, you said something about me-not having to-um-die. What did you mean by that?"

"Ah, a halfway intelligent question. I mean, you aren't really who I want to get to. You know Artemis Fowl, I presume?"

Tinsley's throat became horribly dry. "I…don't…no, I don't know him."

"You're a horrible liar. I know you know him. So let's just skip to the next question. Would you be willing to die for him? Would you like to trade places with him right now?"

Tinsley felt the tears beginning to flow again; she thought she'd cried so much wasn't capable of crying anymore, but they started anyway. Fear does that to a person sometimes.

"No," she whispered, so quietly she wasn't sure her kidnapper would even be able to hear it.

"You don't sound so confident with that decision."

"No! Of course I would-die-for…"

"You can't even say his name."

_It'd hurt me too much, _Tinsley flinched as she squinted her eyes together to try and stop the tears to hold herself together.

"I don't think you're certain. I think there is a small inkling of doubt. And I'm going to delight in manipulating that until it consumes your mind, until you scream, 'Kill Artemis! Kill him instead of me!'"

Tinsley couldn't suppress her tears anymore. The heaving sobs shook her entire frame until she couldn't think straight anymore. "No…"

"And we'll start now. Liam."

All at once the lights went up. The sudden brightness of the room momentarily blinded Tinsley and she saw stars around the corners of her eyes as they adjusted.

"Liam…" Tinsley whispered as she saw him. He looked mournful, unstable. Tinsley knew at once he didn't want to be here, to be standing before her. He didn't want to kidnap her in the first place.

"Pick up that knife, Liam," the mechanical voice ordered.

Liam picked it up with trembling fingers.

"You're a dancer, aren't you, Tinsley? Such a pretty face you have too." The cold computerized voice continued.

Tinsley squirmed in her chains, desperately trying to break free. She could feel her skin chaffing and swelling, or maybe the cuffs were becoming tighter. She couldn't tell. She didn't care.

"Please…" she whispered to Liam, now standing over her with the knife. He looked soulless.

"Make the first cut, Liam," the voice ordered.

Tinsley couldn't breathe, she was paralyzed with a mixture of fear and helplessness as the blade hovered two inches in front of her face. Liam mouthed the words _I'm Sorry_, and then the cold metallic blade touched her cheek. It sent a shiver down her spine.

She didn't feel the pain. She thought she would, be it was as if she'd been numbed. Or maybe her body was so overworked now emotionally and mentally she couldn't even register such insignificant things like pain anymore. She felt the trace of the knife from the top of her cheekbone to the bottom of her chin, that was all.

She thought maybe he didn't even cut her.

"Alright, Liam. Leave. You're other things to do now," the heartless, emotionless voice commanded.

Liam did, his footsteps echoing on the steel floor. Tinsley's sanity almost snapped as she watched him shut the door behind him. Escape was so close, that door was…so close.

"Now, Tinsley, do you understand your situation? Do you still want to be the hero and save the mud boy scum, Artemis Fowl?"

"I can…I can handle…a little pain. I can handle a scar, and being so scared its hard to breathe. I can…handle...this is…nothing…"

The voice cackled with obvious laughter. "How delightful! I'm going to see just how much you can handle then.


	12. Shuttle 0100

Close to what seemed like an eternity later, even though it was only an hour at most, Artemis received a text from Holly saying she arrived. Artemis, Minerva, and Butler had remained in the car so they could discuss rescue plans without the fear of being monitored. If it was Opal, Artemis couldn't be sure she hadn't hacked the cameras at the manor, and Minerva kept repeating over and over, "I wasn't supposed to tell you anything…I could be killed because of this…"

Artemis opened the car door and a slight shimmer hovered the air.

Holly Short unshielded after Artemis closed the door.

Minerva nearly jumped in her seat. "A-fairy? You called on the help of a fairy?"

Holly looked grim. "Minerva. We've met, haven't we? You kidnapped me."

Minerva looked at the car floor, not wanting to meet Holly's eyes. "Possibly…"

"Alright, we're not going to discuss this right now," Artemis declared before things turned into an argument. "Holly, has an LEP shuttle been stolen recently?"

"No, that'd be big. Plus there's a tracker in every one of them, so-"

Artemis brewed it over in his mind, sifting through the facts, or current lack of them. "What if it wasn't stolen? What if she has an insider of the LEP working for her? Someone who could be using a shuttle right now without triggering any alarm?"

Holly shifted around in her seat a bit, uncomfortable with the thought. "Its possible."

Artemis nodded. "Okay, let's go with that."

"I'll make some calls," Holly said, speed-dialing Foaly for any LEP officers currently using a shuttle at the moment.

Minerva saw Artemis' eyes glossing over, distant and lost, as Holly mumbled into the phone.

"Artemis, I don't know what else I could have done," Minerva whispered.

It snapped him back to reality for at least a second. "I'm not sure either. You could have sacrificed yourself, you know. She threatened your life if you didn't help her. You could have just refused, been selfless."

Minerva flinched. "But, I-"

She wanted to defend herself, but found she couldn't. The whole reason she'd gone along with the plan anyway was because she was jealous of Tinsley dating Artemis. Minerva didn't even really like Artemis; he was just a plan b if she couldn't find a man she loved by the time she was twenty-five. She could never have imagined Tinsley would be put in so much danger, kidnapped by Liam-by-a sprite, and now in a shuttle hovering only God knows where.

"She wants us to find her," Artemis announced. "Opal wants us to find her."

"So that means-" Holly started, not keeping up with Artemis' lightning fast mind today. She just hung up with Foaly, and had a list of three LEP officers on shuttle missions today. Three possible suspects.

"We go along with her plan. She doesn't know Minerva told us Opal's involved. We go along with the plan and act as if nothing has changed until we reach the part of the plan where I become involved. As this is a plan of Opal's, I'm sure I'm to be part of it in some way or another."

Silence filled the car.

"Artemis-what if-by the time your part of her plan is after she's-murdered Tinsley?" Minerva could barely manage to say the words. "Oh God, what if she murders Tinsley?"

Artemis didn't say a word. He couldn't. That thought was like a rock crushing his ability to function.

"Okay, look, Artemis-" Holly turned his body to face her. He was pale, ghastly pale. "It isn't Tinsley."

Artemis blinked, surprised. "What?"

"It isn't Tinsley who's been kidnapped. It can't be."

"But it is-"

"I know. But it isn't. It isn't Tinsley. If you keep thinking its Tinsley, you think about the consequences of failing too much. That fear doesn't allow you to think straight. So, right now, you have to separate yourself from the hostage in this kidnapping situation. I know its hard, but for the sake of you being able to think logically at the moment-"

"We go along with Opal's plan." Artemis straightened his tie and motioned for Butler to drive. "Let's go home for now."

"Alright," Holly said, glad to see a bit more color returning to Artemis' face. "So, there are three shuttle currently in use by registered LEP officers. The tracking device on shuttle 0100 isn't functioning, though its hard to say if its from equipment malfunction or deliberate tampering. Its last recorder location was one hundred miles from here, this morning."

Artemis nodded. "That sounds promising. Who is the officer in charge of the shuttle?"

"A sprite named Tate Morrissey."

Artemis' eyebrow furrowed. The name didn't ring a bell, but it wasn't like he knew all the officers of the LEP on a first name basis.

"Do you have a picture of him?"

After a few seconds of poking keys on her communicator, she pulled up a picture.

Artemis and Minerva only needed one second before coming to the same conclusion. "Liam."

*A/N* Review please! I'd appreciate it. Also, quick question, if you were kidnapped by Opal, what would you do? A) Cry like a baby B) Tell her your life story C) Try to psycho-analyze her to see why she's so messed up or D) all of the above. Just curious :)


	13. And the Truth Comes Out

Artemis hadn't slept at all , and almost a full day had passed since Tinsley had been kidnapped right before her eyes. He hadn't accepted the fact there was nothing he couldn't do, and now was pacing back and forth in the study, the only room in which he had removed a security camera so he could be sure it was unmonitored by Opal.

"I think we should call the police," Minerva, who'd just awoken from a short nap stated; she hadn't slept much the night before either-the guilt of helping out O, even though her life was threatened, weighed down on her like lead balls in the pit of her stomach.

Artemis actually chucked at the idea, a short, desperate, helpless chuckle. "The human police force would be out of their depth. Besides, assuming Opal was in the shielded shuttle or at least monitoring it via camera, she saw us all see Liam turn into a sprite, so she knows we know this is beyond the work of humans and therefore we don't need the human police. They can't help us."

Minerva looked half asleep, but her cellphone buzzed, waking her up.

"Its Liam," She muttered with a slight snarl.

"I think she might try speeding up her plan. Opal, that is," Artemis muttered.

"What? Why?" Minerva looked horrified at the thought. Butler looked grim.

"Well, she knows I know I'm dealing with fairies and sprites versus humans. She'll probably think it will only take so long before I trace it back to her." Artemis' lips frowned with disdain at his next question. "Anyway, what does Liam say?"

Minerva shoved her phone back into her purse. "Just-I have to meet with him for the next part of the plan. Actually, you weren't supposed to see him take her. That was-I screwed up my part of the plan, so-it was supposed to seem like they disappeared together, Liam and Tinsley. Then I would just meet with Liam behind your back and all that. God, this is so twisted. This is so messed up," Minerva rambled.

"What's the next part of the plan?" Artemis ignored Minerva's frustrated rants, as he felt if anyone should be rambling with frustrations, it should be him, only he knew how futile it would be.

"Artemis-I shouldn't tell you-"

Which is when Artemis nearly lost it, struggling to keep his voice down so the audio from this room wouldn't be picked up on a nearby rooms camera. "You've done enough already. You'd told me everything you know already. Honestly, Minerva, how can I do or play anything at all if you leave me in the dark now? Just tell me what you have to do so I know."

"I-well, it has reached the point in her plan where I have to kiss Liam."

Artemis just looked confused. "That sounds like more of a very twisted personal problem than part of her plan-Minerva, he kidnapped my girlfriend, you can do better-"

Minerva almost threw a pillow at him. "Geez, I don't want to! He's going to be disguised as you-"

Artemis' heart fell with a heavy realization. "Oh-so…she's begun playing with Tinsley's mind. She wants to make Tinsley believe I'm having some sort of affair. With you."

Minerva hung her head, sick of playing along with O's crazy scheme, but knowing at this point she had no choice. Artemis knew that to.

"Where?" Artemis asked suddenly.

"What?" Minerva asked, caught off guard as she'd been too distracted by her own thoughts.

"Where is this part of the plan supposed to take place?" Artemis demanded, looking frantic, desperate.

"Um-here, not here in this room, but I think, in the guest room I'm staying at. I'm supposed to look like I'm packing to go back to the college, and then Liam disguised as you is supposed to come in and it plays out from there."

Artemis lips curled upward in a triumphant smile. Minerva stole a glance at Butler. "Why's he smiling like that? Its creepy."

"She's monitoring Fowl manor. Opal is monitoring us, as I suspected. It might be a long shot, but I might be able to track her down by tracking her down in my security system. Maybe get an IP address from the computer she's using to view the security footage, all going well…if I get an IP address, I can probably gain access to her security videos on the shuttle as well. This means, theoretically speaking, I could speed up her plan a bit. Force myself into just a bit sooner than she anticipated."

*AF*

"I think we should tell secrets. See who has the best one?" The voice cackled through the computer screen.

Tinsley had lost track of time now. How long had she been in this dark room only illuminated by the soft glow of the computer screen? It seemed like an eternity. She was tired, struggling to keep her eyes open, but she fought it. Liam had been ordered to make three more cuts after the first one on her face, and Tinsley could feel the blood trickling down the long gash in her shoulder blade, the one on the bottom half of her left leg, and the most recent cut on her back.

They didn't hurt, just like the first cut on her cheek didn't hurt.

"Okay," Tinsley mumbled. She was unable to think straight and therefore was going with her kidnapper by default. "Lets tell secrets."

"Delightful, I'll go first."

"I had a feeling you would," Tinsley held back a bitter laugh, knowing she didn't want to anger her psychotic kidnapper even if she couldn't think of anything else to do to get her out of this situation.

"Okay, which one shall I tell first? Ahh, how about the fact that your mother didn't have to die? A doctor made a careless mistake in surgery. A stupid, simple mistake that cost your mother's life."

Tinsley fought back the tears burning like fire on the edge of her eyes.

_Stay cal. Think rationally. Try to act like Artemis would._

"I-how did you know that?"

A mechanical chuckle in response sent a shiver down Tinsley's spine.

"I do my research on people I plan to murder. Makes it so much more fun for me in moments like these. For instance, I can see you, struggling not to cry, fighting back tears so you can at least look composed. It just tickles me pink. How about this secret-Artemis knew. He knew about your mother's surgery mishap and didn't tell you."

Tinsley balled her hands into fists, feeling her nails dig into her flesh relieved a tiny ounce of the anger she felt so she didn't completely lose control.

"Am I pushing you too much, mud girl? Have you had enough yet? You can trade places with Artemis anytime. Remember that. You could be free."

_Free._

The word rang in Tinsley's mind so loudly it made her head spin. She thought she had been pushed too much. She thought she couldn't take one more second being physically and mentally tortured by her kidnapper. She could be free…

And then she thought of Artemis. She would have paid a lot of things for her freedom at that point, but he was not one of them.

"My turn," Tinsley whispered.

"What?" The voice sounded caught off guard.

"You told me a secret. Which was a completely suckish secret by the way, since it wasn't about you in any way. Who tells secrets about other people, that's just wrong-anyway, now its my turn to tell a secret."

A noise of uncertainty followed; perhaps the kidnapper was clearing her throat.

"Fine then. What's your secret?"

"You're the first person I might actually hate. It takes a lot for me to even dislike someone. I mean, a lot. My mom always told me there is good in everyone, and everyone deserves for you to try and find it. So for my entire life, that's all I do. I try to see the good in everyone. And here you are, and I can't even see you face to face, which is very cowardly by the way, and I might actually hate you. Not because of the scars I'll have after this, either. But because you are acting like I'm on your level. Every time you ask if I want to trade places with Artemis, you are acting as if I'm on your level. Because that's what a psychotic, murdering coward does. They trade places with whoever so long as they don't have to die-"

"You're quite a stupid mud girl, using that tone with someone who has the power to kill you in less than a second."

"You won't. You're waiting for me to cave. It won't be fun for you at all if you don't break me to the point I lose my sanity, screaming out I want to trade places with Artemis!"

"I'll make you cave, you know. I'm just getting started."

The thought that everything Tinsley had already gone through was just the beginning made Tinsley's stomach flip with nausea.

"There has to be some good in you. Some beacon of light in your dark, twisted personality. It doesn't even have to be a redeemable trait. Considering you're a kidnapping, murdering, cold-blooded person, nothing will really redeem you. But something good. Something everybody else who ever knew you just missed because you didn't give them the chance with the whole evil thing you have going on."

Sleep deprivation was making Tinsley bold.

"Oh, my poor, dear, stupid mud girl. Even the best of traits can become the worst if they're used and nurtured for vile purposes. I haven't a single trait within me that hasn't become stained with evil intentions."

Tinsley didn't really expect her kidnapper's response to be any different. "I won't cave."

"We'll see about that. Actually, I have some interesting footage from Fowl manor to show you."

*A/N*! *I'M HAVING A CONTEST! sort of* I completely forgot the gestation period for a fairy as Eoin Colfer mentioned it in Artemis Fowl. Actually, I don't know if her ever mentions it. Fairies/elves just have very long lives pretty much. But well, Holly is pregnant in this story (she comes back in in the next chapter of this fanfic-I think), and I have no idea how long she should be pregnant for as a fairy. So, if you can find out from the AF books, or just know off the top of your head and comment on this story letting me know, I'll read two of your works. If you have no idea, comment anyway and I'll return the read :) I'm returning all comments with a comment on your work from here on out! 


	14. The Thing that Changes Everything

Minerva forwarded a quick text to Artemis before entering Tinsley's room at Fowl manor, a short two word message she originally sent to Liam second's earlier; go time. Once she entered the room, she acted distressed, packing things away, throwing clothes into the air, back into her Louis Vuitton luggage, working herself into a frenzy.

"This is-I can't breathe." This was a time she could let out her frustration and call it "acting", so she did. She sobbed, the tears soaking the plush purple pillow she always carried with her.

A knock on the door made her jump, as she'd genuinely been absorbed in her performance.

"Come in," she muttered, afraid of what was about to happen. She prayed that when Tinsley saw this video, she would forgive her.

And then Liam entered, disguised perfectly as Artemis Fowl, complete with dark rings underneath his eyes from a sleepless night.

"Minerva-"

"Why didn't you tell her? I came all the way to Ireland to see you, and you haven't even told her what we shared?"

_Forgive me, Tinsley_, Minerva pleaded.

"That was in the past, Minerva. You should never have gotten tangled up with demon warlocks and The People."

Minerva almost laughed at the statement. At how true it was. She thought back to her younger, arrogant self who didn't care about the consequences of exploiting a new species for the glory of a scientific breakthrough. It all started then. And now look where she was, all because of it.

"But you loved me for it. My intelligence, I mean. I was-I _am_ perfect for you, and now that you started dating this perfectly normal, if even slightly below average, completely _ordinary_ girl-"

"You were reckless."

"I am what you've _always_ needed!"

Liam's mouth twitched, uncomfortable with how realistic Minerva's acting was getting. He furrowed his eyebrows, a perfectly Artemis expression, and adjusted his tie, as he knew Artemis liked to do in times of distress.

"I have Tinsley. She's what I've always needed."

Minerva zipped the suitcase shut. "I'm going to leave. I'm going to leave the college. I'm going to leave Ireland. It hurts me, it kills me to see you with someone so-beneath you. Stop me, Artemis. Make me stay. Give me a reason to."

"Its in the past-"

"It doesn't have to be." Minerva crossed the room, until she stood directly in front of Liam and grabbed his hand. "Choose me. Love me. She's a big girl. She can handle herself, she doesn't need you to keep telling her what to do. And me? I don't need that. I'll never need that. Because we're equals. I can help you just as much as you can help me. But her? She's just dead weight you're carrying around."

Liam couldn't make sense of it all, and he had no idea how Artemis would react, but his reactions were far too expressive because of it. Still Artemis-like in a way, but it looked like he actually cared deeply. Artemis only showed such a meaningful expression around people he loved.

"I love Tinsley."

"You love me too."

A scripted pause, and Liam took the moment to examine Minerva's expression. Her watery eyes, her desperate face. In that moment, he felt like she was begging for him to love her, and he felt like he could.

"I-"

"Make me stay."

"Minerva, the girl love has just been kidnapped, what am I supposed to do? And why are telling me this now?"

"I waited for the _right_ time. I called several times. You never answered. There's never a _right _time, Artemis, but I'm about to leave because I can't handle watching you tear yourself up over her. I'm jealous of a girl who's been kidnapped, because you are doing everything in your power to find her. You care about someone, and the person is not me. Do you care about me? You do, don't you? If it were me instead of her, you'd look the same, the same worried expression, the same dark rings under your eyes from not being able to sleep. I love you. And we'll find Tinsley, and she'll be okay, she'll be-she'll be okay. This has nothing to do with her. Stop pretending you can handle being the caretaker of a stupid, naïve girl."

Liam bit his lip, suddenly feeling the weight of his role. "I loved her."

"Loved. You said loved."

"I wanted to tell her-for a while now. That my love for her changed to past tense. I didn't want it to. I tried to keep feeling that same spark. It just goes out sometimes in relationships. I thought I'd always love her. I thought I could see past our differences, but lately we've just been-incompatible."

"I know."

Liam dropped his voice to whisper. "You are reckless."

"I'm what you need, Artemis."

Liam paused, leaning in closer to her face, their lips inches apart now. "She'll be fine. I'll do whatever it takes to find her, and then she'll be fine."

Minerva forgot it was Liam completely, she was believing Artemis was in front of her, giving her a chance. Not only that, she wanted it. And not because he was her plan B. Because suddenly she saw a future, and she wanted it. It was as if in this scene she was acting out a completely possible direction her life could take, and it was so welcoming.

"She'll be fine," she whispered desperately, so she didn't feel the guilt. She couldn't go through with the kiss with such a feeling of guilt.

And then their lips met, Artemis closing the small gap that'd been between the two.

"You just kissed me," Minerva mumbled in disbelief, pulling away.

"I'm choosing you. After all this is over, I'm choosing you."

Minerva thought it was just acting. She hoped it was. But when the fake Artemis standing in front of her said that, she was genuinely happy.

*AF*

The mechanical voice chuckled as the live footage from Fowl manor came to an end. "Isn't that just horrid? Even I feel sorry for you. Tragedy can bring out the worst in mud men."

There's a reason some humans claim they don't believe in love. They're scared of it.

Tinsley wanted to wipe the tears away, but the cuffs held her hands fast as always. The salt burned the wound on her cheek. "I-I…"

Love is as strong as hate, as passionate, as powerful. It is as deep and all-consuming. When a person is in love, they lose themselves in it.

"Your expression is priceless," The voice mocked.

People shape their lives around it, change their futures, all in the hope of spending forever with the one they love.

"Artemis-" Tinsley sobbed, until she couldn't see, and she didn't want to see. Didn't want to hear, didn't want to feel anything.

But what happens when that love isn't their anymore? When the love a person shapes themselves around suddenly isn't their anymore, and they have nothing to lean on? Its like death, that earth-shattering, life-altering real. Only it isn't. That person isn't dead, just devastated at the loss of something they came to rely on. That pain can go on forever.

*A/N*

OH MY GOD! This is getting sad, even for me. Okay *breathes*. Forgive the overly romantic/cliché dialogue between Liam/Artemis & Minerva. I tried to make it realistic, but it was a scripted scene they were supposed to act out, so I figured I had a little liberty with making it sound as such.

Anyway, as I've been stating, all comments on this work will be returned with a comment on yours! I'm really, really getting into this series, and I'm debating a third one, because the thought of this one being the end makes me sad. We shall see.


	15. Guilty

**Guilty**

Artemis' idea of tracking Opal through his computers was failing miserably; he could breech any human's firewall within minutes, but even his advanced software couldn't match Opal's technology. Liam had shielded and left the manor hours ago,

"There's no trace of her in my system," he whispered in defeat. "What else can I do?"

He knew it'd been a long shot in the first place, but desperation convinced him it'd work.

Butler and Holly exchanged worried looks, as Artemis' look of absolute misery was reflected in the computer screens of the security room. The security room, one of the only rooms in the manor not monitored, was the only safe place to plan right now; if only Artemis could clear his thoughts enough to think clearly. He took a deep, calming breath, trying to piece together an attack; of course, he needed to know where Opal's ship was located before he could attack it.

Butler and Holly both opened their mouths to offer Artemis words of encouragement, but Holly's communicator went off, crushing their good intentions.

"Foaly?" Holly's voice held a spark of hope as she brought the device to her ear.

"Speakerphone, please," Artemis requested.

Holly obliged, and the centaur's voice filled the room.

"Turns out Opal hired a really stupid henchman to do her dirty work."

Artemis' heart involuntarily filled with hope; had Liam made a mistake that would help him catch Opal? He hoped.

"Well?" Artemis pressed, impatient.

"So Tate Morrisey, AKA Liam, AKA Douchebag and soon to be ex-recon, made sure the tracking device on the shuttle was completely trashed as he left headquarters today. But the tracking device in his helmet and communicator both are working perfectly fine."

"So where are they? Where's the shuttle?"

"Well, see, his helmet is in Cloghran, Dublin, and his communicator is in Raheny, Dublin," Foaly admitted sheepishly, knowing the information was more distressing than helpful.

"D'arvit," Holly snarled. "Of course."

"One of those places is a dead end - maybe both of them are." Artemis sounded equally tired and frustrated; he wanted this nightmare to be over, and soon.

Butler, refusing to allow his charge to wallow in frustration or pity a second longer, spoke up. "Alright, we need a plan."

"I think there's someone in this room who is really great at coming up with those," Holly flashed Artemis a supportive smile.

Artemis took a collective breath, adjusted his tie, and sat up straight, trying not to let the crushing fear of failure riddle his mind. "Actually - maybe Minerva can be of more help than I initially thought."

The groups focus all turned to the monitor displaying the blonde, curly-haired teen, who was as of this moment still in Tinsley's room, and still visibly upset.

*AF*

"I'm getting rather bored with you, mud girl. You don't want to know what I do to things I become bored with," the mechanical voice droned.

Tinsley cringed at the thought. The various cuts and gashes on her bled steadily, and by now the blood loss had made her faint and unable to focus. It made her unable to stay angry, which she appreciated, as anger clouded her reason - well, anyone's reason, really. But an unfamiliar burning rage within, unacknowledged, but nevertheless there.

Opal continued: "You have an hour to decide whether or not you die today; my offer of killing Artemis instead still stands. No need to thank me for my generosity."

With that, the glow of the computer screen turned dark, and in the pitch black Tinsley tried to hide her tears as the footage from Fowl manor played through her mind. She knew how pointless thinking about it was, even more she knew she was playing into her captor's hands by fuming about it, but she wasn't Artemis. She wasn't calm and collected when it mattered, and able to think logically in the most dire of circumstances. An hour left to live, and she wanted to spend it sulking about Artemis and Minerva's words, and kiss.

That thought snapped her back to reality.

No, she needed to prove him wrong. She could do things for herself, she could get out of this…somehow. She didn't want to be a burden, and when she was out of this, she'd just leave Dublin; start over. Her senior year of college was almost over anyway, so really, this timing was just…just perfect.

As long as she focused on life beyond her dark room, she felt a flicker of hope.

Until she heard the room's heavy door creak open.

"Tinsley?" Liam's voice filled the space, and Tinsley stifled her scream, foolishly hoping if she kept quiet he couldn't find her in the pitch black space. A flashlight flickered on and focused on her, the bright light momentarily blinding her before shifting to the control panel.

Then the light turned off, and she could hear his footsteps as he moved, but she could tell he wasn't walking toward her. She thought he was moving toward the control panel, but couldn't be sure.

A second later he spoke. "Alright, the audio for this room has been disabled. She can't hear anything we say now."

Tinsley found it hard to believe, probably another mind trick, so she stayed quiet.

Liam, however, continued, after taking a few steps toward her before sitting down roughly two feet in front of her, his back to the camera mounted on the wall.

"The footage from Fowl manor she made you watch isn't real. I have a device that allows me to change forms, and she made me pose as Artemis. The whole thing was scripted."

Tinsley wanted to believe that, but in this scenario, she couldn't trust anyone. Still she felt her heart piecing itself together, wanting Liam's words to be true.

"You're just a human," she muttered, dashing her own hope. "And changing your appearance like that? That's impossible."

"Number one, I'm not human. This form that you're seeing now is just a mask of the device. Number two, I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm asking you to trust Artemis."

Tinsley processed Liam words, fighting against her own tendency to foolishly believe anything.

"Why are you telling me this? You're on her side," she spat, with uncontainable venom in her voice.

"Look, I - I have to go now. I just wanted you to know."

A second later he enabled the microphones in the room that picked up even the smallest noise for Opal to hear. He knew he'd gone against Opal's wishes, and that the consequences would be…unpleasant. And why? Even he wasn't exactly sure; he'd been sitting next to Opal, watching the footage of the manor in the after-effects of his scene with Minerva, and Minerva looked so sad and guilt-stricken that he felt remorse himself.

**AN: I am SO sorry for the wait. I hope the update makes up for the emotional scars caused by not knowing if Tinsley dies or not. In happier news, I'm working on the next chapter of this now, so it will probably be up tonight, so...forgivesies?**


	16. Improvisation

Opal had a gun pointed at the door as Tate entered the room. He closed his eyes and prepared for death, but instead she threw the gun against the floor in a fit of rage. "You went against my orders? What did you say to the mud girl? Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you!"

Tate, surprised by her even giving him a chance to defend himself, now struggled to find the words to save his life.

"You lied to me. You said you wouldn't hurt Minerva, and you have."

Opal laughed. "Your little thing for that girl will never work you know."

Tate glowered at her, a brave move on his part. Still, he felt he'd just been called an idiot. "Of course I know."

He flashed a quick look to the monitor of Tinsley's room in Fowl manor, to find Minerva was no longer in it.

"Well, boo-hoo and all that, she'll live," Opal screeched. "The mud girl in the holding cell's time is running out. And if you told her what I think you told her, it's all because of you."

"I thought she had the right to know."

"You're an idiot. Now she'll volunteer to kill herself, since Artemis' name is cleared. Where's the fun in that?" She slumped down in her chair, and opened a drawer, pulling out a syringe and a bottle of clear liquid. "Unless…perhaps I can still have fun with this after all. Liam, fetch Minerva and Artemis. Bring them here. And if you mess this up…make no mistake, I'll kill you."

The syringe's needle sparkled threateningly in the dimly lit room, and Tate left, knowing he had no other option than to do as he was told.

*AF*

Artemis had never devised a plan that centered around waiting for his enemy's next move, but in this situation he saw no other choice. When he finally spoke, Holly and Butler leaned in, awaiting their orders. Before he could speak, a sharp rapping on the room's large window caught their attention. Nobody was there.

Everyone knew instantly it had to be a shielded fairy.

"It could be Liam…Tate…whoever," Holly voiced their thoughts aloud.

The knocks on the glass grew louder and more frequent.

Artemis walked toward the window with purpose, before Butler could stop him. Sensing this was part of Artemis' plan, he decided not to stop him, instead he simply helped him with the window's large lock.

"You have my permission to enter," Artemis said, though it looked as if he spoke to thin air. A gust of wind suddenly flew between Butler and his charge, and a moment later, next to Holly, Trouble Kelp unshielded.

"Do you mind telling me what exactly is going on here?" Kelp sounded livid, and looked just as agitated.

"We're trying to catch Opal Koboi," Artemis stated matter-of-factly.

"I get that. I mean, why did you call my pregnant wife up here to help you with this mess?"

Holly's eyes widened in disbelief, as did Artemis' and Butler's.

"I was going to tell you guys later, after this whole mess was over," she quickly blurted out. "It just didn't seem like a good time."

"Holly, you're pregnant?" Artemis asked, not because he didn't believe her when she confirmed it the first time, but because he needed to hear it again for the words to soak in.

"The doctor confirmed it this morning," she laughed with a radiant smile.

"Yes, she's pregnant, and this is Opal Koboi we're dealing with here, so there is no way I'm going to allow Holly to be involved in this anymore. You understand, right?"

Kelp met Artemis' eyes, pleading with him to agree. Artemis had a feeling Kelp had already tried to convince Holly not to become involved, and obviously failed. He probably thought if Artemis also convinced Holly not to help, she'd actually listen.

"Of course. Holly, you shouldn't put the…um…little one in danger, so…I have to agree with Commander Kelp on this one."

Holly looked frantic. "But you need me! Whatever you're planning Artemis, you need me, right?"

Artemis allowed a small, reassuring smile. "Well, you can't help, but Commander Kelp never said he couldn't."

Trouble hated when the mud-boy was right.

"It seems like we'll have to work together on this one. I brought a few other Recon men along with me. So what's the plan?"

Before Artemis could admit that basically it was improv at this point, Holly's communicator went off and Foaly's voice filled the air. "The tracking device in Tate's helmet says he's heading your way."

"Alright, here's the plan - roughly," Artemis began. "My watch can record a long stream of audio. While Morrisey is taking me to Opal's shuttle, which is, I'm assuming, is what is about to happen, I'll tell you guys where I'm going - actually, I plan on making him tell me where I'm going - one second -"

He typed a few commands into the computer and plugged in a silver USB device.

"There. Now the conversation recorded in Morrisey's shuttle will be streamed live on this computer's speakers. As soon as I've told you where to go, wait ten minutes, and then launch an attack on her shuttle. Idealy, I'd like no more than a ten to fifteen minute gap between the time I arrive on the shuttle and the time you start your attack. I'll have Tinsley out by then, so use whatever force you deem necessary to take Opal down. Should a glitch in the plan arise, I'll notify you, Kelp, via your communicator."

Trouble looked unimpressed. "This doesn't seem like your usual fool-proof plan, Fowl."

Butler looked concerned as well. "Artemis, I can't leave you alone on Opal's shuttle for ten minutes, that's the equivalent of killing you myself."

Artemis sighed, knowing his plan wouldn't go over well. "I would love nothing other than for you guys to bombard her shuttle the moment I arrive, but unfortunately, it wouldn't work. We know Morrissey is working for her, but we don't know how many others working for her she has on board. I don't want you walking into an ambush. She wants me dead, yes, but I'm counting on there being enough time between me getting on board her shuttle and her playing her sick mind games for me to assess the situation and give us the upper hand."

Again, skeptical looks around the room.

Foaly's voice rang out over Holly's communicator. "Crazier sounding plans than this have worked in our favor, guys."

The words offered no comfort to the group, but a reluctant look of acceptance spread across their faces.

"Fowl's right. We have to have more of an idea of what we're up against. A shuttle the size of the one Tate stole today can fit up to fifteen fairies, and if they each have LEP weaponry, we'd be in trouble just walking in blindly."

Butler protested still. "What about video? I'd like to be able to see what's going on inside the shuttle."

"My watch is primitive looking enough Opal won't expect it to be able to even record audio, but I'm sure she'd be expecting an iris cam or something similar."

"Still," Butler persisted, "It's worth a shot."

Kelp pulled a box with an iris cam out of his pants pocket and helped Artemis as he reluctantly put one in.

Foaly's voice filled the room again, and it held an edge of panic. "You have about a minute until he arrives."

Artemis looked unfazed. "Alright, someone pull up a blue-print schematic of the shuttle model Morrissey stole today."

Within seconds of viewing the layout of the shuttle he'd soon be on, the escape pod part of Opal's shuttle unshielded in his yard, and he could see from his window Morrissey was inside it.

"There's my ride," Artemis chuckled dryly.

No one else laughed.


End file.
